Threats to Cloud Computing Security

Threats to Cloud Computing Security

Cloud computing is a major trend in today's business model. There are a variety of benefits a company can see by using the cloud for important business data. Some of these benefits include access to files outside of the office, large storage space and the ability to share information with privileged employees. However, the security risks can sometimes far outweigh the benefits, especially if the company want to store a lot of sensitive customer information or protected company information. If you are thinking about utilizing the cloud for your business, here are some of the most common threats you need to know about. 

Issues with Shared Technology

One of the most common security issues with cloud computing in a business is various issues with shared technology. Because of the multiple levels of sharing at different points in the cloud infrastructure, even the most secure cloud server can have a number of vulnerable holes where security is lacking or nonexistent. In this instance, a company may want to utilize private servers to keep public breaches at a minimum. 

Abuse of the Service

Companies can also run into a problem when hackers are able to access the cloud system by renting time on the server, rather than simply trying to hack in. In this case, the hacker is looking to complete tasks that are meant to annoy users or prevent users from accessing their own data. These tasks can include distribution of spam and launching attacks that deny service to customers. 

Hijacking

One of the most feared threats to a company using cloud computing is hijacking of the account. This goes beyond regular hacking because along with limiting access to the account, a hijacker will also go a step further to release the information they find within the cloud. A company who has sensitive data, such as phone numbers, addresses, social security numbers or credit card numbers of customers can be in serious trouble. A company working on new products may lose vital secret information on those products that could potentially be useful to the company's industry competition. 

Data Loss

The loss of massive amounts of data should be one of the biggest concerns for any business considering a cloud computing structure. Although it is convenient and affordable to store your company's data in the cloud, hackers and criminals are not the ones that are to blame for data loss on every occasion. More and more reports are surfacing that some cloud computing services have actually be the culprits of data loss for their customers. Most of the data reported lost was recovered by the service through backups. User error can also attribute to data loss, especially if a business does not do a thorough check on an employee before giving them access to the company's data within the cloud. 

Companies who lose data may also be worried about public access to that lost data. If this is a major concern, a company can decide to use dedicated host servers that serve the company and the company alone, making it harder for and hacker or the public to gain access to sensitive materials that concern the business or its customers.

courtesy :Brenda Panin

Author bio:

Brenda Panin is a tech blogger and an author of this article. Useful information for this text has been kindly provided by Ninefold. In her free time Brenda loves to blog about cloud computing, web hosting and visualization.